The Meaning of Peace
by PhanthomLord
Summary: Naruto, Sasuke and the whole ninja world try to learn from the mistakes of the past and undergo the painful task of achieving true peace - between the nations, the ninjas and within as well. Follows cannon until midway through chapter 699 - doesn't necessarily follow anything from Kishimoto after that. Eventual NaruHina and SasuSaku pairings.. Don't own Naruto or anything really.
1. Reaping what was sowed

**The Meaning of Peace**

CHAPTER 1 - Reaping what was sowed

 _Sasuke's POV_

"...I lost..." to you, to this world and I lost everything but you and this world - Sasuke thought at the verge of losing consciousness from blood loss or maybe it was finally the end of a hate filled, meaningless life.

That's why, if we live, I don't care about having the name Hokage, one that you deserve much more than me. Although I will still retain my idea of it, but this time I wont become the person to hate but the person who protects you, Konoha and the rest of the world from the shadows, where I truly belong.

Even though the confrontation with Naruto had been the most difficult physical ordeal he had ever been put through and had resulted in the loss of his left arm, what came next was worse.

"Sakura...I..." he couldn't face the pink haired shinobi straight. Not only because of everything he had put her through but mostly because she was standing there healing not only the savior of the shinobi world but himself as well.

"Don't, I need to concentrate" he heard her answering, but he had to say something, all he could muster was a weak "I'm sorry".

"Sorry? For what?" He took strength in that response, since it seemed she, like himself, needed this conversation desperately. "For everything I've done"

He wasn't surprised that her reply came with sobbing and tears "You'd better... Geez.. You are so much trouble... Stupid..." but even though he had expected something like this, he felt so much relief that he mustered a small smile - it could only be small because he hadn't done it in a while and his face muscles were only trained for serious face and scowls... I better solve this problem... smiling feels nice after all.

After a while he and Naruto were able to sit up and share a peaceful moment, the three of them with the fourth member of Team 7 and their mentor, watching them from above. When they were finally told by Sakura that it was safe to move now they went to the battle site and performed the release jutsu for the Infinite Tsukyomi. This would end the sweet dreams of everyone and would make them return to the nightmarish reality but what he had learned from Naruto was now clear as daylight, that anything can be overcome, together.

 _Naruto's POV_

They had finally released the Infinite Tsukyomi, he and Sasuke had done it together with their remaining arms which made him glad, he had felt the same in the the fight against Obito, Madara and Kaguya, they were brothers in their very souls, something that was no longer blocked by his naivety or by Sasuke's hatred. They could finally be each other's "right arms" and strive to protect peace and everyone they cared about.

It was a sense of certainty that his friend would be there for him that made him feel like these past 4 years had been worth it. He also felt it with his other teammates, especially when Hinata had entered in the battle with Pain, resulting in her own demise, and when she had slapped him in the face for losing faith. It had felt good the feeling of their hands intertwining - he should investigate if it was some kind of Hyuuga jutsu related to the Gentle Fist...

Nonetheless, even he knew that there was something potentially dangerous coming soon. They had been summoned to a small crater, 50 meters away from the main gathering of people - he still heard the laughter and shouts of joy and relief by the shinobis and samurais of 6 different nations that made him feel warm all over, similar to how Kurama's chakra had become since they had become true friends - where the 5 Kage awaited... This doesn't bode well to Sasuke, he thought.

"We will continue this discussion afterwards..." he heard granny Tsunade say as the he and the three other members of Team 7 approached "Before anything else is said, there is one thing we must do" the Raikage stated as the 5 leaders of the most important villages bowed their heads in recognition to the heroics of the 4 Leaf shinobi. "I have stated before that a shinobi should never do something as disgraceful as bowing his head to another but I correct myself now and say that you four deserve by having done what we had the responsibility to achieve and couldn't, to protect this world and the people that live in it. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!"

"We have decided to hold a meeting of the 5 Kage in a month's time to do the decisions that need to be taken in order to protect this newborn peace that was achieved at the sacrifice of so many" The old man Tsuchikage said "This will allow us to recover and rebuild, not to mention the reports that need to be made to the respective daimyo."

"Talking about that" Gaara started saying "We know it is another selfish request on our part and that your mental and physical injuries need time to heal but since none of us was present in the final part of the war we would ask of you to give us a detailed report, so that we can accurately tell not only the daimyo but also the rest of the shinobi world how it was saved."

Tsunade cleared her throat and said "Sasuke, you have been granted by the 5 Kage a period of temporary asylum. You will have to wait in the Village Hidden in the Leaf until such a time comes as you are properly judged. Do you understand?"

"I do and I will" Sasuke answered as dry as the desert he had been sent to by Kaguya - he had gone back to his reserved self, thought Naruto, but for now he would allow it.

"Very well then, we will gather all the shinobi, have a moment of silence for our fallen comrades and then be on our way to our respective homes" Mizukage said, putting an end to the meeting.

After all had been gathered, a circle was formed, and hand in hand, the shinobis of all great nations shared and emotional moment of silence. It was so strong in their united feelings that it lasted well over 15 minutes after which, newfound friends bid goodbye to each other and everyone started the slow journey home.

 **Next time, Sasuke returns to Konoha, the 5 Kage meet and relationships evolve...**


	2. Unsaid, Unheard, Undone

**The Meaning of Peace**

CHAPTER 2 - Unsaid, Unheard, Undone

 _Sasuke's POV_

As he looked to the gates of the proud Konohagakure, he shivered as he thought of the month imprisonment that the 5 Kage had declared for him, generously and deceivingly calling it "asylum". He had grown accustomed to the life of a wanderer and judging by the looks of his former comrades on the journey here, only the ever-grinning idiot would be willing to give him company once in a while. Tsunade, it seems, had other plans...

"Sasuke, as was discussed, you are not allowed to leave the village walls until the time of your judgment" The Sannin said with a hard-looking face, she was the mentor of Sakura after all... She must have seen the amount of pain her pupil endured because of him "That said, you will have your own apartment and have the right to free movement..." Ah, free movement, how he enjoyed those two words "...if and when accompanied by a leaf shinobi" He was becoming incredibly naive if he didn't see this coming...

"Hmm.. Is that all, 6th Hokage?"

"For now, tomorrow present yourself in my office at 8h sharp so we can discuss your routine for this period of impr... ah.. asylum I mean"

"Hmm"

"I take that as a yes then. Sakura, please escort Sasuke to his apartment, the one we have discussed."

"Yes Tsunade-Sama" Sakura said, perking up to her mentor at the sound of her order She turned slightly to Sasuke "This way... huh.. Sasuke-kun"

"See ya later idiot" A hyper energetic Naruto screamed from a distance.

"Hmm" was the response of Sasuke, not only because it was tradition but also due to the fact that he could barely believe that that idiot could be like this after all that had happen to him. If cutting off his arm didn't calm him down, what else could he do? At the thought of prohibiting ramen in Konoha he unintentionally let out a smirk, something that unfortunately didn't went by unnoticed by Sakura.

"It's good to see you smiling Sasuke-kun" The Kunoichi said "May I know what is the reasons for this rare event?

"Nothing really... Just thinking about how to make Naruto miserable" He had to try and keep a conversation with her, she deserved at least that much "You know, the usual..." He thought that would help clear the tension. The opposite happened, she stopped in her tracks, looked straight at him with a hardened expression and said

"You shouldn't joke about that you know? I don't think you need to be reminded of how Naruto never gave up on you and you only kept giving him reasons to do just that" She came a step closer "You better start proving you are deserving of his faith in you"

"Proving?" He couldn't help but retort, she was defending Naruto but he knew deep down this was about them "To him or to you?"

"Both" She started walking again, seemingly uncomfortable about that confrontation, he just followed her, a few steps behind, after a while she stopped again and pointed to her right at a grey building "Here is your apartment, second floor, the door on the left, here is the key"

"Thank you... Sakura" As she was turning around, he grabbed her right arm "Huh, Sakura, do you want to go eat something afterwards?" He watched nervously as he watched the effects of his question - heavy blushing, eyes pointed straight at the ground, hands clasped behind her back (which by the way she had grown, did not have that same innocent feeling anymore).

"Huh, Sasuke-kun.. I.. I can't... I'm sorry but Tsunade-sama needs me to do a shift at the hospital tonight"

"Hmm... No problem, I just don't remember Konoha that well and besides, I was never one to eat outdoors so I don't really know the good places to go"

"I'll ask Naruto to come by to take you somewhere later then" She said with a smile, both in her lips and in her eyes"

"Guess there is no avoiding eating ramen huh? I guess it would be good to gain a few pounds. Ok Sakura, don't want to cause you any more problems, thanks again and see you later"

"See you later, Sasuke-kun" He noticed he was still holding Sakura's arm, as he was about to let go, he felt her body turn completely towards him, giving me a tight hug, while she whispered "Welcome back" in my ear.

 _Naruto's POV_

"C'mon Granny Tsunade, we just arrived and you want to meet? I want to go to Ichiraku... You know what they say, post-war ramen is the best!"

"Shut up and listen! You know how Sasuke is going to stay here for about a month right?"

"Hum hum" Naruto said while nodding with his head, he had a bad feeling that this would turn too complicated for his understanding...

"Well, I want you to keep an eye on him, after all, it would seem clear that you are the only one that can stop him if that is ever needed."

"Ah, don't worry Granny, he won't do anything bad anymore dattebayo! I guarantee it!"

"Even so, this is an order. Also, apart from the official report on the war you are going to write already, I want you to do another one in secret about Sasuke's behavior and overall presence during the different battles, got it?"

"MORE WRITING? C'mon Granny, you know I am not good at that stuff!"

"If you need help, why not ask the Hyuuga girl, Hinata for help?"

"Heh? But, but you said it was secret... I am getting tired from this conversation" Just to prove a point, his belly grumbled in hunger "See? I need Ichiraku first-aid treatment right away!"

"It is a secret from Sasuke and should also be from Sakura, just in case"

"Ok, I'll do it if I have to. See you later Tsunade..."

"Naruto, just one more thing." As he turned again towards the Hokage he saw her smiling with teary eyes "You have made everyone proud and have proven yourself yet again a worthy user of that necklace!"

Naruto smiled widely at this and just said "You know it!"

After he left the office, he started walking - almost running because of his hunger - towards Ichiraku when he ran into Sakura.

"Sakura-chan! Have you showed the idiot to his idiot's house?"

"Hey Naruto" Her voice was a bit shaky but it must be tiredness, he was apparently the only one not to feel it... "Could you do me a favor and take Sasuke to eat something? I can't..."

He noticed there was something there but he didn't want to push it further, not when she was this exhausted from the war "Ok, will do. Ramen tastes better with company after all! Get some rest Sakura-chan!"

"Ok, will try but I have to go to the hospital now, am kinda late, see you later Naruto!" She said as she stomped her way to her home, which was the opposite direction from the hospital. He found it strange but didn't want to question her, fearing that she would get mad and take it on his face. Even he had been warned about further blood loss and its dangerous consequences to his life...

As he stopped by Sasuke's new apartment, he hollered "Idiot, you there?"

After a while, the idiot's face was visible through a small window on the left of the apartment. "What do you want, one handed fool?"

"I want to eat, you one handed idiot! Wanna go to Ichiraku's ramen?"

"Sounds like I got no other option, wait a little bit"

The walk to their destination was spent in silence... One of them was too hungry to talk and the other had obviously something on his mind...

As soon as they walked in the stand, the owner exclaimed enthusiastically "To the hero of the Leaf, two special orders on the house! Just wait two minutes alright?"

"Uncle Ichiraku! You're the best. I know, as a reward I let you use my face for advertising if you want! It could go something like «Eat like the hero!» or «ramen is the basis for all good jutsu!»

"Those sound like great ideas Naruto" The owner said with a face that screamed HELL NO! "Maybe you could keep it down a little bit, if my daughter hears about your offer she will never let you go again"

"Ok, got it, for now I will be happy if I get to eat!"

"Here you go, two miso specials on the house, enjoy!"

"ITADAKIMASU!" Exclaimed Naruto while he plunged in, leaving 80% of his face hidden inside of his bowl"

After the third bowl, Naruto was stuffed he turned around to his friend and noticed that his scowl remained untouched "What is it Sasuke? If you say the ramen was no good I'll fight you again dattebayo!"

"Hey Naruto... Do you think things will go back to what they were before if I stay in Konoha?"

Naruto just sighed "Such a heavy theme... I'm not sure... I mean things change, doesn't mean for worst right? Look at us, we turned alright, no?"

"I guess you're right... At the same time I feel like I have stepped over some lines, especially with the 5 Kages and Sakura" Naruto could see the pained look on his face but at the same time couldn't help but be protective of his best friend.

"Idiot, did you do anything to Sakura-chan? She was pretty upset when I saw her earlier..."

"No, I mean... It was kind of awkward... I don't feel like talking about it ok? In fact I'm feeling kind of tired, going to go home now. Thanks for inviting me, will keep in touch ok?"

"Alright" Man everyone's tired and bothered... The war is over right? Everyone should be enjoying themselves... "See you later idiot!"

 _Next Day, Hokage's Office Sasuke's POV_

"So here you are, this is your schedule for this month" He heard Tsunade say while giving him a sheet of paper "Basically, everyday at 9H you are to go to the hospital for a check-up. After that you will do an hour everyday of community service. In the afternoons, you and Naruto will work as teachers in Konoha's Ninja Academy and by 17h you will come here to report back to me, understood?"

"Understood but..." He started carefully chosing his words "Are you sure you want me around children?"

"I am sure, if I wasn't, I would have made other plans or do you think I chose this randomly? Besides, our youth doesn't need to carry the burden of your past, to them you are as much of a hero as Naruto is. Take it as the mental part of your recovery."

"There is no mention of today's program."

"Today is going to be different, all of Konoha will be invited to the cemetery for the funeral service of our fallen comrades and to give thanks to the Will of Fire for granting us victory and survival. You are to dress nicely but nothing stops you from wearing the Uchiha symbol, it would be nice to have one of the most important clans of Konoha to have its presence renewed around here."

"Thank you Hokage" He said, feeling more emotional than his usual self "You don't know how much those words mean to me."

"Don't get all emotional, it doesn't suit you, now go prepare yourself, the funeral starts in 1 hour and a half, don't be late."

"Ok, until then" He replied before leaving the office and heading to his apartment. Just when he was about to arrive to his new house he remembered that he didn't have anything with the Uchiha symbol in black... That could be problematic... Wait a minute, when did he became the type of guy that worried about what others thought of him? Damn, this was annoying... Strip the revenge and the hatred from me and I am more insecure than Hinata? No one can take this scowl of my face now... At least in a wedding it is not such an uncommon expression to wear...

As he was wondering what to worry about most, the problem he was faced or the man he was becoming, he stumbled into his bedroom to find a black shirt, long sleeves, with only three buttons on the collar and a note on top of it. Although he was surprised at first, he understood the situation and already knew what the note said before he read it "For today's occasion, thought you might need it. See you soon, the annoying girl"

"It seems you are not going to give up on me either, hein Sakura..." He felt happy and relieved at the same time. Not because of the dress code but this was proof that even though he had come dangerously close to the abyss of hatred, his friends were building a strong bridge for him to take steps without fear. As he turned the shirt carefully, a smile came easily to his lips as he saw the Uchiha symbol on the back of the shirt "You really thought this through huh?" He still felt like he couldn't give her all she wanted, love was such a foreign feeling to him... However he could try to be her friend, that was the bare minimum he knew she deserved and needed.

As he was getting dressed, he thought "I wish my asylum could last more than one month... I'm really changing!"

 **This chapter was longer than I expected so next time the funeral service and maybe I'll get to the 5 Kage's Post-War Conference, we'll just have to see...**


	3. Something in the Air

**The Meaning of Peace**

Chapter 3 - Something in the air...

 _Naruto's POV_

Maybe this is the meaning of peace, Naruto thought as he looked upon the new white gravestones. Dying in battle and looking down from heaven to the people left behind... maybe not, I guess I still have to find my answer, Ero-sennin, Nagato.

The graveyard was full with everyone in Konoha showing up to pay their respects to the fallen shinobi in the last war, all dressed in black... It was a bit depressing, when he was Hokage he would change the color of mourning too, orange maybe?

Even the thought of becoming Hokage could cheer him up today, it seems... But this day he was allowed to feel sad, everyone else looked to be pretty down as well. But Neji and the rest of the fallen would be happy he thought... Everyone was there, the fresh graves were white with the Konoha leaf symbol, the respective names and some of them had short messages - he had shed a tear when he saw that upon Neji's it said "Fly as far as you can, you're free now!". Even the daimyo had shown up with all of his personnel and staff, after all Naruto had learned that the dad of Shikamaru served occasionally has advisor to him, and also the Hyuuga family was recognized as noble by even the daimyo lineage.

At the front and center of the graveyard stood a white marble stone that opened up in a semi circle to serve as a torch for a yellow-orange fire, used to represent Konoha's Will of Fire, the legacy of the 1st Hokage, the united wills of the shinobi of the Leaf, passed from generation to generation. He was standing in the second row of the funeral service, on the first were the daimyo and the families of the departed. Granny Tsunade was standing in front of them, to the left side of the pillar of fire. Coincidence or not, he had been sited between Sasuke and Sakura-chan and behind Hinata.

While Granny was talking on and on about the sacrifices that had been made for peace and how we should honor their souls by living our lives to the fullest, his mind went back to one of the most important moments in the war, at least to him... Neji had died, the all too familiar feeling of hopelessness was creeping in and taking hold of him, paralyzing and then Hinata has slapped him... It had felt good, just what he needed but he hadn't expected that from her, after which they had held hands and the warmth from the two was shared through that small contact. An idea suddenly appeared, he didn't want to distract her but maybe like he had felt the need of that slap before it had happened, Hinata was now in the same position... She had to act strong for me back in the war but I know how much Neji meant to her.

Slowly but steadily, he leaned forward, stretched his arm and touched her shoulder gently, doing a downward motion until he found her hand... He held it and it felt good again, even though this time he was in an uncomfortable angle, which had his team mates giving him weird looks at him from the sides, at least he thought it was his position, what else could it be?... He didn't mind, he knew it was the right thing to do, he even saw a ghost of smile on Tsunade's lips when she noticed the contact. He couldn't see much of Hinata's face but the left side of it was enough for him to see, under a fierce red blush, the corner of her mouth raised in a smile...

Tsunade finished her speech and had asked for a moment of silent prayer to the Will of Fire. Just has the signal had been made for the daimyo to give his speech, the fire on the torch went out suddenly... Instinctively he let go of Hinata's hand, stayed still for some moments and activated sage mode, he looked to Sasuke's face, his Sharingan and Rinnegan already activated and made a motion with his head to the right, they both ran towards that same direction, so fast and smoothly that not even their chairs moved an inch.

Just as they were getting close enough to see the culprit in the forest they had entered, the chakra signal disappeared... Naruto stopped in his tracks, Sasuke noticed and turn towards him.

"What is it?"

"I lost it, do you see anything with your eye powers?"

"Nothing, I didn't see anything even when you were sensing it..."

"What do we do now idiot?"

"I guess there is no choice but to return and report our failure to the Hokage and Daimyo" the idiot said with his scowl on his face

"Failure... I don't like that word, not one bit!"

"By the way" The idiot started saying while they were making their way back to the graveyard "What did the chakra signal feel like?"

"Now that you ask it was something I hadn't felt before, it was warm and I didn't feel almost no malice from it. At the same time, it was strong... A kinda of power similar to nature energy..."

"Interesting but it still doesn't answer any of our questions..."

As they made their way to the Hokage and the Daimyo they noticed that Kakashi-sensei and Shikamaru were also gathered and they were discussing in low voices, probably about what had just happened. They approached, went to one knee bowed their heads and reported that they hadn't caught anyone and Naruto described the feeling he had had while sensing the foreign chakra - with the exact same words since he didn't want to make the effort to think about different ones.

"Thank you for the effort and the report both of you" Granny Tsunade said with a serious face "But Sasuke, even though you were doing it with the intention to protect the village and you were with Naruto, you are by no means to get that near from our borders ever again, understood?"

"Hmm" was Sasuke's answer, he could feel the frustration of his friend and he felt it too, he only meant it for the good of the village..

"But Granny..."

"No more words from you Naruto, now get up, I need you two to take care of things here, see that everyone returns safely home, myself, the daimyo, Kakashi and Shikamaru have things to talk about it seems"

"Ok, leave it to us!" Naruto replied with his vintage smile splattered on his face.

"Before that, if I may, Hokage" the voice of the daimyo was thinner than Naruto had expected, and it came from behind a fan, but it still had some authority behind it "I never got the opportunity to meet you two before but, even though these are unusual circumstances, let me just thank you for your actions in ending the war. Ah, unfortunately the special commemorative badges for the shinobi that participated in the war have still not been finished so for now I can only give you these words, but I'm sure we will see each other soon enough. Now, lead the way Hokage, if you please"

Naruto and Sasuke just traded curious looks with each other and started directing people to their own homes, having the help of Sakura and other friends. After a while, the only people remaining by the graveyard were himself, the idiot, Sakura-chan and Hinata.

He heard the idiot say "Hey, empty head, I'm going to go with Sakura ok, see you around and notice me if you sense anything out of the ordinary got it?"

"Sure, sure" He said with a mocking smile, I already am sensing something out of the ordinary if you are going to walk Sakura-chan home, you not-so-subtle-idiot...

He noticed that Hinata was standing in front of Neji's grave, he walked to her and stood by her side, stretching out his hand to resume holding hers...

She responded, gripping tight and resting her head on his shoulder "Hey, Naruto-kun, do you think that is true" she whispered, shaky voice pointing at the words written in the gravestone.

"I am sure they are" he said with a calm tone "Maybe it was even him that blew out the torch, you know that what I felt was a warm, strong presence, seems like Neji right?"

"Naruto-kun", she said reproachfully as she looked into my face "Neji-nisama would never pull a prank like that, he knows how we feel"

"Maybe even the most brilliant geniuses like to play pranks from time to time, once they are free... Hehe"

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's presence and that of the ones that had left them.

 _Sasuke's POV_

They were walking towards her house, a safe distance from each other, mainly imposed by him... It was a bit awkward, he really was not good in these circumstances but he felt like this time he had to make the first step, for once towards a good direction...

"Thank you for this" He said while pointing at his shirt "You even went to the trouble of sewing the Uchiha symbol on the back, that was really thoughtful of you"

"I normally sow ruptured blood and chakra vessels, so it was no trouble at all Sasuke-kun." She said with a smile on her face, eyes closed. The same smile he had seen before, the same smile that he was noticing hid her real feelings behind a veil of happiness.

"You know, you keep doing everything for me and I don't know how to repay you... I mean I would invite you to eat again but it just feels like you would find another excuse..."

He noticed how she continued to walk and tried to hide the blush on her face by turning her face to the side... she failed at that.

"I... I didn't really used going to the hospital as an excuse... It's just that I went there on my own will, without Tsunada-sama telling me to..." She said in a quiet, disconcerted tone.

"Well, I'm not an airhead like someone I know so I understand why you want to create distance between us... But at the same time, you give me hugs, shirts... A guy can get confused you know?"

"Uh... Well... You see... Okay! I'm not that weak girl anymore, I'll get to the point!" She said while she stopped in her tracks - a movement that he was kind of getting used to by her - held his right hand and stared straight at his face, the former blush almost but gone "Sasuke-kun what do you feel about me?"

"Uh, you got to the point alright... Well, I know I don't love you..." He said in a normal tone of voice. He felt her hand tremble at those words "I mean, I know it because I know I don't know what love is... I would like for us to become friends, it feels like it is what I want from you now"

"Friends huh..." She let out a sigh and let go of his hands "That works ok, I guess... I mean, don't expect me to still have a crush on you after all you did but still... I don't hate you as bad as to not become your friend, and that way I might get to know the real you, not the image in my mind of you"

"So..." I started saying, as we stopped near her front door "Do friends eat together? If so I would like to buy you diner tonight if it is okay with you"

"Sounds good" she answered with a more sincere smile "Come here at around 19H alright?"

"Deal, until then"

"Until then Sasuke-kun" she said as she entered inside of her house, and for once in his life, Sasuke was starting to feel like the path he was in had some hope in store for him...

 **Some advancement on the two relationships I want to focus on this Fanfic... Next time I will focus more on the political, suspense side of it, starting with the meeting between Tsunade, the Daimyo, Kakashi and Shikamaru. Please leave reviews, especially if you have something bad to say about this! Without criticism one doesn't correct himself!**


	4. The Good, the Bad and the Rest

**The Meaning of Peace**

Chapter 4: The Good, the Bad and the rest…

 _Kakashi's POV_

Boy, the atmosphere sure is serious... Guess I won't have the opportunity to read my icha icha books after all, well, it would be the fifteenth time after all... I should ask Naruto if he is interested to take up on this side of Jiraya's legacy as well as the quest for peace one... It is almost as important right? Ups, the daimyo is talking, should pay attention...

"I have granted this audience to you three to discuss some things and announce others" They had gathered in the conference room dedicated exclusively for audiences with the daimyo of the Country of Fire, Tsunade had posted both Yamato and Sai outside of the door and had two other ANBU's doing perimeters around the Hokage building "But first things first, Tsunade being here is obvious, since she is Hokage but I want to tell you why I selected you two to participate in this meeting as well"

"Hatake Kakashi, you have shown your true valor both as a Jonin and as a mentor in charge of Team 7, the squad that won the war against... whoever they were. It would be silly not to consider you as the natural successor to Tsunade as the 6th Hokage when she deems it is time to step down. As such, your presence in these meetings is both welcome and necessary, to prepare you for your future responsibilities, if this is okay with Tsunade, of course..."

"For the first time in many years, my lord Daimyo, we agree on that and he is indeed my choice to succeed me. I am thinking of stepping down some time during the next year, when I know, you will be notified" Thank god I am wearing this mask, thought Kakashi, it's not that I am a heavy blusher but somehow I have never got used to compliments by allies, I'm fine with the ones from enemy though - I should see what's wrong with my brain sometime soon, preferably before I become Hokage...

"Splendid! That settles that and I'm glad we thought of the same thing. As for you, Nara Shikamaru, as you may have been told, I always held a deep respect for your father and listened to his council. As your mentor, before dying, told me by letter that you have inherited your father's skills as a tactician and a councilor I would like to make you a permanent member of this council"

"My lord, you honour me with your gesture and your words. Unfortunately I would much prefer to stay in Konoha and take care of the next generation so..."

"Not to worry, this council only convenes when the new Hokage needs to be chosen or an issue of such severity so you are allowed to stay in Konoha and only have to participate when you are called by me"

"If that is the case I do accept this great responsibility and hope to serve you with as wise a council as my father before me" Shikamaru said, great for you, Kakashi thought, maybe now you can have closure on your father's death, you will be continuing his Will of Fire with dignity.

"That settles it then, on to the topics of this audience. I have been in regular communication with the other daimyo of the 5 great nations and we have declared the following: First, we are going to meet in two weeks time to discuss the war events. For this we require a report by the 5 Kage who will be present in said meeting. We would also like the presence of all members of Team 7. Shikamaru you are included as a member of my council of course. Second, we want the 5 Kage to meet before us to present us with measures to prevent future bloodshed, either within or between the nations. Third, we are transferring the power to judge certain shinobi from the 5 Kage to us, the 5 Daimyo, I'm sure you know but to make it clearer I am talking about Sasuke-kun and Orochimaru-san. As such we expect that the report submitted has a special focus on these two war participants. Am I clear?"

"Clear..." He heard Tsunade said with an almost mocking tone "That you are, it doesn't make me happy about it though."

"Tsunade-sama, if I may. What the Hokage is trying to say is that criminals or missing-nin are the jurisdiction of the Kages as is every other shinobi, the Daimyo has juridical power when it comes to the Kages themselves or the ordinary people. What is the reason for this measure, if I may ask?"

"Although what you say is true, we fear that in the case of these two specific shinobi, there is a lack of objectivity by the part of the 5 Kage. To prevent an emotional judgment we have taken this decision upon us. Are there any more questions or can we finish this audience in agreement?"

I should speak, after all I need to justify the praise that I received "My lord, if I may, you mentioned the 5 great nations, are there plans to include the other nations and the Country of Iron in this conference? After all, one could argue of the negative effects that excluding these have had in the recent times"

"Ah, you may be right... you may be right... Guess that there would be no problem in inviting them as our guests or observes, I will take this matter up to the other Kages, now I will take my leave."

Everyone got up their sits and Tsunade through clenched teeth said "Thank you for this audience my lord. We will do as instructed..." _for the time being_ Kakashi heard her finish in a very quiet voice, man this woman is furious... The daimyo left them in the room.

Now that this is finished I can go lie down in the sun... "Kakashi!" Oh no, this is going to be bad "Go to the remaining Team 7 members and tell them of the "invitation" for the meeting between the 5 Nations, of Sasuke's judgment and tell them to deliver me their report by the end of this week. This last one includes you too... Don't go lazy on me now, our schedule has been cut in half after all..."

"Hai Hokage-sama! It will be done, anything else you need of me?"

"No, me and Shikamaru will work on our own preparations for the meeting and send messengers to the other Kage about this. You're dismissed until further notice!"

Kakashi then proceeded to find his old team... the meeting had been a bit too stressful for his taste but boy, did it make him glad to hear others speak of Team 7 so often again!

 _Naruto's POV_

Life in prison sucked! I mean, he was the war hero... why did he have to suffer this? "You know why kukuku..." The voice of Kurama answered, he seemed to be having fun at his expense "Its' NOT fair dattebayo! I am trying with all my might here, you know?"

It all started after Kakashi-sensei had told them what had been decided by the daimyo. He had not been happy about the change of Sasuke's judges but it didn't really mattered since he was never going to let anyone do anything to his friend and rival... No, the worst part had been when he was told that he had to finish the report in two days time...

He had been so proud of having it done in 5 minutes that he was smiling when he entered the Hokage's office. The smile quickly was replaced by a suffering expression when Granny Tsunade read and reacted to the one sentence present on the sheet of paper that said "I am a hero and Sasuke is a good person dattebayo". Women sure had a funny way to react to things! Hinata might be a strange person but at least her weird coloring issues were not aggressive to him… While he was quietly slipping into a coma he was ordered to redo it…

At his 500th attempt, Tsunade gave up on him and made Sakura responsible. She had chosen to keep him in a locked cell without ramen. She even convinced the other people of Konoha not to visit him until he had finished… Even though he had a bit of a problem with writing, he knew he could have done it at his first try… Its just that he didn't want to write anything against Sasuke but he also didn't want to escape the truth…

"Why not just say the truth and finish it with the fact that you were able to change his mind during your battle? Maybe people will be so impressed with your ability to change him, they will not pay attention to the first part of the report.." Kurama said, trying to be a little more helpful

"I guess I have no choice, but I'm not doing for that stupid reason, stupid!" After all they were going to leave for the Iron Country tomorrow so he had no choice but give the Granny something good today.

"SAKURA-CHAN" he screamed after having written the boring but truthful report "I am finished, this time for real!"

His jailer came to his cell, read the report he had given her and gave him a serious nod, as she let him out of the cage. "This is good enough, I guess… I will give it to Tsunade-sama myself, meanwhile, get your things ready for tomorrow's journey"

"Got it… Just out of curiosity, what did you write on your report Sakura-chan?"

He noticed she was blushing slightly when she said "I.. the truth of course… It was a bit sad writing the whole genjutsu scene, but you cannot interfere with the truth in a judgment right?" Her tone when she finished the sentence was more one of questioning if she was right than one would use in an affirmation, but he let that go… for now

"Right! Guess I should be going now, see you later Sakura-chan!"

"Hmmm… See you…" Sakura whispered, eyes pointing down, seemingly in deep thoughts about her own report.

 **Next time, the 5 kages Conference, I am going to skip the journey part, sorry to all that like travel writing! Hehe. Thank you for the views, favorites, follows and the one review! YES, got one finally! Thank you so much Tanialari for your support!**


	5. Steps towards a Better Future

**The Meaning of Peace**

Chapter 5 - Steps towards a Better Future

 _Kakashi's POV_

As they were getting seated down - well, the 5 Kages and the Samurai leader had a seat at the hexagon table, the other people present were standing behind whoever they were there to council or protect - he could feel the tension in the room already. Tension not from between the 5 Kages themselves, all in pretty good terms since fighting and almost dying together, but from the decisions they had to take.

The roster of presences was pretty much the same from the meeting which had resulted in the declaration of the war by Obito, the biggest difference being from their side, instead of Danzo acting like the Hokage with his two Root bodyguards, Tsunade was representing Konoha with Kakashi and Shikamaru behind her. Apart from that the only difference was that, instead of Ao, who had died with Shikaku-san and Inoichi-san, there was an unfamiliar face behind the Mizukage's chair, standing next to Chojuro.

"Since we are all here, we can then start. As you have requested, I, Mifune, leader of the Samurais of the Iron Country will accept once again the responsibility of being the mediator of this meeting. Before we proceed to the tasks at hand, let us pay our respects to our comrades that have fallen during the war"

Not because of any lack of respect that he had to the departed, but more because of curiosity, he stole a glance at the newcomer. She was about as tall as he was with a light brown hair that was long but didn't fall in her face like the Mizukage's. She was wearing the traditional shinobi attire of Kirigakure and overall didn't have anything special about her... except for her eyes which were tear-shaped and a light purple, and, they were looking at him... ups, he should know to be more discrete, he was a shinobi after all... he looked away fast and down, at least until the moment of silence had passed.

"We will then proceed to the first part of our meeting, the agreement on the general report on the 4th Great Ninja War to be submitted to the Daimyo in tomorrow's grand audience. As the Supreme Commander of the Shinobi Alliance, Kazekage-san, you were the one responsible for the task of presenting a proposal to this conference, can you please proceed to presenting the method chosen for doing it, the main points within the report and the recommendations to the daimyos?"

"Very well" started Gaara, in his never-changing calm and smooth tone of voice "The method used for doing this report was having a point person that would communicate with four other people, each from a different village to be able to have a more complete and comprehensive view of the events. As this task befell our Village, Temari, my older sister and advisor was chosen to be the point person. As for the other villages, the contact people are present in this room: Shikamaru for the Leaf, Chojuro for the Mist, Darui for the Cloud and Kurotsuchi for the Rock."

"The report is divided into three, pre-war, war and a detailed list of the shinobi that participated in it. The first point is a description and, at the same time, an analysis of the events that led to this 4th Great Ninja War. The main factors highlighted are mistrust between the Great Nations, lack of proper communication and relationships between the Great Nations themselves but also between them and the remaining surrounding nations and a shinobi world which was built upon the stone of conflict and hatred."

"The second point is an objective description of the war, from the first battle between the two sides' ambush squads to the release of the Infinite Tsukyomi. While the majority of the parts was done with information from shinobi of all villages, transmitted by the contact people, the parts that cover the battle with Uchiha Madara after he absorbed the Juubi, the battle with Kaguya and the battle between Naruto and Sasuke were done by relying almost entirely on the accounts of the Leaf shinobi that participated in those events. However, all five members of the commission created to do this report have expressed their confidence in the accounts and therefore have put them into writing in this report."

"For the third part, I don't think I need to explain much, just saying that the list is thorough and it includes a special mention to the deceased during the war as well as a list of the shinobi that were used as puppets by the enemy, through the use of the Edo Tensei Jutsu. That is all I have to present, since someone from the Leaf" he stated with a little smile on his lips "didn't submit his report before yesterday, it couldn't be sent in a proper timing like it had been agreed. However, if there are any questions from this brief presentation or from what you were able to read, I, and the commission members here present are at your disposal."

"Maybe it would be wise to have a break for 30 minutes, to give us all time to read or to informally ask questions to the people mentioned and then resume with the decision on this document. Please don't leave the premises so we can be on time, outside of the room you will have drinks and snacks, if you so desire."

That seemed like a good idea to him. Not that he was specially hungry but he had been forced to read the whole report time and time again by Tsunade-sama to a point that he knew it by heart and he was so sick of it that he didn't particularly wished to discuss it further. Most of the people were staying in the room it seemed, but he was surprised to see, when he stepped out, that another had had the same thought as him and was standing near the table with the hot drinks. The unknown shinobi from Kiri.

"Recommend anything?" He asked casually.

"If it isn't Kakashi-san... I would try the black tea if I were you, to see if we are able to be awake through this boring meeting..."

"You don't see the importance of this meeting? By the way, I don't recall seeing you in the war."

"Oh... Now you are being a little more direct, aren't you? To answer your questions, no, I don't and no I wasn't"

There was something intriguing about this person after all, a kind of unexplainable mystery... "Could you explain a little bit more? We do have time after all..."

"Very well, I will first respond to the second question, since it might give you an indication of my answer to the other one, you do seem intelligent..." she paused to take a little sip of her drink, but her eyes never deviated from mine "I was not part of the war because I was travelling far from this continent. I have been away on a voyage ever since Momochi Zabuza's coup d'état. I was, like the previous Mizukage, under the control of Akatsuki, from which I could only break free when Zabuza tried his little revolution on the Bloody Mist Village. Even though I felt I owed a great debt towards him, my shame of not being in control of myself and the humiliation of not being able to protect my own village as a shinobi was too great for me, and so I quit being a shinobi and tried to get as far away as possible from this world.

"I was declared a missing-nin and a traitor and I felt like I didn't care... until I received a letter from Ao-san - he was a sensor shinobi you see and it seems he kept one of his eyes on me as a matter of speech of course -, saying that the new Mizukage had pardoned me, that the 5 Villages had formed an alliance and that I was needed for the 4th Great Shinobi War. I couldn't reject the call, as much as I wanted, I felt it was the opportunity to redeem myself. Unfortunately I was too late to join the battle and so my shame remains. I'm taking Ao-san's position as protector and counselor of the Mizukage to see if this can be a path to my redemption. However, I'm still a skeptic to this new found state of things and therefore don't think this meeting will solve the problems of this tainted world. How is this for an answer?" She took another sip, encouraging me to speak up.

"I guess it is good enough. It seems you and I have similar reasons to be alive... Redemption is also something I'm seeking for a long time. I think I have finally found a clear path towards it, but not in myself, in the new generation... That is why I am a believer in this new peace and this meeting in particular, because of my students."

"Maybe we have different positions because I wasn't a witness to the union of shinobi from different villages like yourself... But for now, let's agree to disagree on that point... But Kakashi-san" when she said my name her tone became colder, even frightening "If you hear my story well, you must realize that I hold a grudge against you, after all, you are the reason Zabuza is dead and so, I will bide my time, until I get the opportunity to fight you, what do you think about that?"

Before he could answer, they heard the voice of Mifune calling everyone back to the meeting room he just said "I see... that's a shame but we will continue this little discussion after this."

After everyone had been settled and some lines had been changed (details of no importance) Mifune finally said "We now have a report to present to the daimyo. 5 Kage, you give your agreement to this?"

"I" was all they said, almost at the same time.

"Very well then, we will go to the second discussion of our meeting, the recommendation we are meant to give to the daimyo on Sasuke-kun and Orochimaru-san. Hokage-san, since they are both missing-nin from your village, would you mind presenting your conclusions first?"

"Alright. What I have to say is very short. I would see Sasuke pardoned and fully reinstated in his rights as a shinobi of Konoha due to his war efforts. Even if his intentions in the war may have been dangerous, he is just a child in need of guidance and therefore, the last thing he needs right now is to be branded as a criminal. For Orochimaru's case, his status as a missing-nin should continue the same and we should put him under surveillance, in case he does something to disturb this new found peace."

"That's a bunch of crap, Hokage!" The Raikage stated with his voice raised "Sasuke is dangerous and he can't be trusted, don't let your personal feelings interfere with a logical conclusion, he should be arrested"

"It pains me to say, but I would agree with the Raikage on this matter" The Tsuchikage stated while massaging his own back"

"It is a shame because of how handsome he is but yes, he shouldn't be granted freedom" The Mizukage said with eyes closed"

"Maybe if he was granted freedom but kept on surveillance like Orochimaru. Naruto wouldn't mind following around I guess" Gaara said, trying a compromise.

He saw how Tsunade was getting angered and so he decided to speak, even if it was unusual for anyone but a Kage to speak in these meetings "If I may, 5 Kages, Mifune-san." Since no one said anything against, he continued "No doubt that Sasuke has been led on a path of hatred and pain. I also am not as naive as to suggest that someone else might not appear to stir those feelings inside of him again. However, he was one of the main reasons why this war was won and this world was saved and, most importantly, he is part of the future that we have risked our lives to try to protect. I would support Hokage's recommendation and also add that his friends can be as much of a guiding light to his path of righteousness as our enemies were signs to a path of darkness. If you have read what Naruto wrote then you will find the following sentence: «Sasuke has found his peace and if he ever turns away from it again, I will stand in his way again, you can count on it dattebayo!»"

"Even though I am now a believer of Naruto's, I am still unconvinced in this matter. I would propose that we recommend to the Daimyo that Sasuke continues in his state of probation, without being able to leave the village of Konoha, until six months from now, when he will be judged again by us."

"We now have two different proposals on the table. Who is for the option of pardoning Sasuke and reinstating him as a Shinobi of Konoha as proposed by the Hokage?"

Only Tsunade and Gaara raised their hands...

"Who is for the option of maintaining the probation sentence on Sasuke and postponing his judgment until six months from now, as proposed by the Raikage?"

The Raikage, Mizukage and Tsuchikage all raised their hands. "The majority is that we present this last recommendation to the Daimyo. However, since it was not consensual, and if their individual opinions are asked for on tomorrow's grand audience, both the Hokage and the Kazekage may offer their different proposals. We then pass on to the third and last point of our meeting for today but first I would propose we would break for lunch and resume this meeting in two hours."

All Kakashi could think about while he headed for lunch behind an angered Tsunade was how he hoped that tomorrow's decisions would be a different one...

 **Ok, that is done... Next chapter we enter the Grand Audience with the Daimyo's. This one was a bit harder to write and it may be a bit boring to read but it is a necessary evil, to expose how difficult the decisions to be taken are... I have been extremely busy with work but I will try to take the weekend to have more chapters ready so I can update it more regularly... Also, I wasn't expecting to write an OC but it seemed to me that the Mist Village needed someone like her, and she so wanted to be a part of this story, I couldn't just say no...**


	6. Peaceful (?) Resolutions

**The Meaning of Peace**

Chapter 6 - Peaceful (?) Resolutions

 _Sasuke's POV_

What a worthless group of old man, Sasuke thought as he looked up to see the 5 daimyo in their meaningless splendor. Although he had given up on his plan to start the world from scratch by eliminating its former leaders, that notion didn't seem too farfetched at the moment. They were the leaders of each of the most powerful nations of the continent and they had spent one hour just to say formalities and discuss the commemorative war badge to give the war participants...

They had erected a dais to hold the 5 daimyo, below which was the leader of the Iron Country, Mifune. Standing in the direction of it stood the 5 Kage. He and the rest of the old team 7 were behind the Kage and further behind were the guards of each and the representatives of smaller nations.

They were now in silence to allow the daimyo - or, better said, their advisors - to read the report that had been submitted on the 4th Great Ninja War. It took quite a long time before - after the whispers from the respective advisors in the respective ears - the daimyo took the floor again.

"Quite an impressive affair it seems" the daimyo of the Wind Country said

"True, true. Lots of casualties as well on our side" the Lightning Country daimyo contributed

"Yes, however, there was a silver lining, in the end, this predicament helped you come together as shinobi, we should be happy about this" said the Water Country daimyo

"A rainbow after the storm, so to speak, huh, daimyo Water Country? Very well said." the Earth Country daimyo continued

"The one thing I think we can all agree is that you all, as leaders of the respective 5 great villages, have our respect and our thanks for all you have done." the Fire Country daimyo said.

"Yes, we can put this matter to rest, let us talk about specific cases, shall we?" the Lightning Country daimyo said

"I propose that Kakashi-kun, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan and those who have died during this latest war are given the status of War Heroes and wear special badges to prove it." continued the Fire Country daimyo stated.

"Agreed" said the Earth Country daimyo, while the Lightning Country and Water Country daimyos only nodded with their heads.

"Agreed but, corpses don't wear a thing, Fire Country Daimyo, the badge needs to be placed on their graves instead" the Wind Country daimyo contributed.

"Right, right. Then it shall be done like so." The Fire Country daimyo said. "As for Sasuke-kun, we have read the written report and the recommendation but we would hear the words of those who witnessed his participation in the war first-hand. Let's see... first his former captain, Kakashi-kun, if you would please."

"As you will, my lords" Kakashi started with a formal but calm tone of voice "Trying not to repeat what I have written down in the report, I have to state that Sasuke was vital in our victory against Kaguya and the other enemies. We would not have achieved anything but defeat if he was not present. Furthermore, like Naruto, he was chosen and given powers by the spirit of the Sage of the Six Paths and that proves the faith that the wisest amongst men placed on Sasuke to come back to a path of righteousness. Indeed, he fought against Naruto and had dark plans, but that has to be understood in the big picture of his life until that point, a life of loneliness, lies and shadows. He did what he did and was punished already by the loss of his strong arm, I would not see the need for further punishment." Kakashi still saw him as his pupil it seemed, he hated to admit it but he was kind of happy about that...

"Thank you for that. Sakura-chan if you would please continue"

This was going to be interesting, thought Sasuke, he did not cared either way what she thought of him, did he?

"My lords, I have not much to add from what Kakashi-sempai said. My written report goes in the same sense. Sasuke-kun during the war, returned to Team 7 and we fought together like the comrades we used to be, taking the places of our mentors, the legendary 3. Naruto and Sasuke-kun have a lot of history, I guess, so that battle was not unpredictable at all." She took a deep breath, and from her side he saw her blushing a little bit "He has also proved, from this past week of his will to reintegrate in Konoha and to... re-forge relationships with us."

"Quite an interesting testimony... Very well, Naruto-kun if you would give us yours"

"Alright. I'll keep this nice and simple. Sasuke is the reason you are still all alive and he is as much of a war hero as the rest of us, period!" It seemed that the most surprising ninja was not so surprising after all, he said just what he thought he would said. He saw the Hokage's fists clenching up as she tried to restrain herself from punching Naruto.

"We'll ignore that tone of yours and accept your words. Finally, would you like to speak for yourself, Sasuke-kun?" The Fire Country Daimyo invited.

"Not really but I'll say something anyway. I have had my fill of regrets, I'm not proud of some of my actions but I'm turning a new page. If you believe me or not, I'll leave that up to you but I have no more reason to hate or to take revenge... I have found something else to lean on."

"Oh, and what might that be?"

"Bonds."

"Very well, everyone but the 5 Kage are now dismissed for us to be able to make a decision on both you and Orochimaru-kun. You will be called again when that decision is reached." The Lightning Country finished.

On the outside, things were a bit awkward... Sakura had decided to take as much distance as possible in the cramped lobby and was currently engaged in a conversation with the emissaries from the Village hidden in the Rain. Kakashi was talking and... laughing?! with a shinobi from the Village hidden in the Mist. Naruto was just smiling with his arms on the back of his head and whispering "that showed them dattebayo!" or "damn right Sasuke" or "bonds right?" He decided to ignore him and catch up with the shinobi from the Sand Country, Kankuro and Temari.

After a while of pointless conversations they were finally summoned back to the room and resumed their former places.

The Wind Country daimyo was the first to speak up "Sasuke-kun, both the daimyo and the Kage have come to a decision concerning you."

The Fire Country daimyo resumed, since it was his responsibility anyway "We have decided to reinstate you as a Leaf shinobi with full privileges with two conditions: One, you are not allowed to leave the village without permission from the Hokage. Two, you will cut all contact with the dangerous Orochimaru-kun. Is this acceptable to you, or you prefer to remain a missing nin?"

"It is acceptable, I don't want anything to do with that creepy bastard anyway"

"Very well, that "creepy bastard" as you have put it, and all his associates will remain with the status of missing nin and therefore on the bingo books of each village. He is unpredictable and poses a threat to this new found peace."

"I guess that's that, then" so spoke the Earth Country Daimyo "As for this peace that was now mentioned, we would now hear the resolutions that the 5 Kage have to present to maintain and help prosperity install itself in this world."

"If I may, my lords" The Raikage started "The first resolution would be to make the 5 Kage meeting a regular event, to be held at least once every 6 months, rotating from each of the 5 Villages each time. This would make the contact and relationship between the Villages stronger, help resolve conflicts at the proper time and share information and resources between us all. We have also, with the help of Ino-san from Konoha, established a telepathic network, accessible only to the one that possesses the title of Kage for any urgent business to be brought up with no delay"

"That seems very prudent. We agree, proceed to the next suggestion" The Lightning Country daimyo stated

This time, the Mizukage took the floor "The second resolution follows the spirit of the first and it is to establish embassies from each village in each village. This includes the ones outside from the 5 Great Countries. This would allow a spirit of total disclosure between villages and help the smaller villages as well."

"Very good thinking indeed. I bet the ones in attendance are happy about this as well. We agree, any other?" The Water Country daimyo determined.

"We are still halfway, I'm afraid" the Tsuchikage said "We would also propose to have the history of shinobi written down properly and be taught to the new generations, for it to be clear that the way of cooperation is stronger than any other. To help prevent the mistakes from the past as well each of the 5 Villages would assign 10% of their budgets to the smaller countries and villages, so that no discrimination or feeling of abandonment may arise."

"You sure about that Tsuchikage yo? It would seem prudent not to tell a history of blood and suffering and won't your villages need the money?"

"We are sure. We think it is best if the history is told like it is, to prevent someone from finding the truth and reading too much into it. Also, we will strive with the growth of the other villages, it will improve commerce and in turn, increase revenue for ourselves so it is mutually beneficial."

"I see, I see. Very well, we agree with this one as well." The Earth Country daimyo finally allowed.

"The fourth resolution we propose is the establishment of 5 committees, each composed of 5 elements from the 5 villages plus two elements of another village. These five committees would report to the 5 Kages and would have authority in the respective area they are assigned: One on Intelligence and Investigation, One on International Relations and External Security, One, the only not composed of shinobi, on Economic and Social affairs, One on , One called Past and Future, to ascertain new ways to learn from our mistakes and maintain our peace and One on the Grand Endurance Games, which will be explained by the Kazekage as our fifth and last resolution."

"Oh, how exciting... Very well, we agree to that one as well" stated nonchalantly the Fire Country Daimyo.

"As the Hokage said, the fifth and last resolution is to substitute the old failing system of the Chunin exams by the Grand Endurance Games. Participants in the games would be all kind of shinobi, although, the only ones up to be promoted would be the Genin. However, this would not only be a test but a whole week of activities and challenges including a tournament of the best shinobi of each village. This week would happen every year and would start on the anniversary of the ending of the war. The ones to organize it would be the Committee in charge and they would also chose the hosting Village, although it is highly recommended that it is done in a rotation system. Every village would be of course invited to send their shinobi to enter the contest they feel most comfortable in. This will surely improve relations between each and every village, help prosperity be reached and, most importantly, give strength to the peace we have sacrificed so much to achieve."

At the words of the Kazekage, there was a breaking of applause and shouts of joy as all the room lit up. Finally, Mifune had to intervene to allow silence back and the words of the Wind Country daimyo heard.

"We have determined to accept all proposals and to thank you for all of your hard work. We look forward to the first edition of these Games and the implementation of all the other measures you have proposed. Good luck on your endeavors. You are now all dismissed."

Might be I'll be able to have some fun in these Games... Sasuke thought with a smile on his face... Things were becoming more interesting every day, maybe peace wasn't so bad after all...


End file.
